Employee Resource Groups (ERGs): Fostering a Sense of Belonging at CBC
By Farai Zvobgo, Product Designer, Digital Strategy & Product, CBC
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) have a beneficial effect on the culture at CBC by fostering a sense of community for employees who share common interests, backgrounds and experiences. ERGs are voluntary, employee-led and organizationally-supported groups in which people with shared demographics such as gender, sexual orientation or identification, ethnicity and race can unite within the workplace. At CBC, ERGs are providing critical support to the well-being of our employees and the development of our corporate community. They accomplish this through wide-ranging initiatives that include culturally-specific events, road shows, opportunities for career development and so much more. Some of our ERGs even offer services that help employees acquire the skills they need to navigate negotiations about salaries and benefits. Our rapidly-growing list of ERGs includes abilicrew, for those with visible and non-visible disabilities, AllNations, DiversifyCBC, outCBC, Visible Women, Women In Technology and the most-recently founded ERG: The Black Collective. Each of these ERGs offer safe, collaborative and welcoming environments where members can express their thoughts and ideas and where their voices will be heard; loudly and clearly. As a member of an ERG at CBC, you can also enjoy and even help to plan community-building initiatives such as road shows, lunch ’n’ learns, educational events and so much more.
Digging Deeper into ERGs
Are you passionate about your background, ethnicity, culture or anything else that makes you unique in Canadian society? Joining an ERG may give you the opportunity to express your interests and collaborate with like-minded individuals. Don’t see an existing ERG for your community, passion or interests? Starting an ERG at your workplace may be easier than you think. I joined the CBC in November 2022 and within a month, I found myself immersed in an ongoing and important conversation with colleagues about creating The Black Collective: CBC’s first ERG that is exclusively for Black people and their allies. Its launch was an instant success. More than sixty people signed up to be a part of The Black Collective on its inaugural day. While helping to create a new ERG that was also the first of its kind in the history of the organization appeared daunting, I soon realized that it was not as hard as it seemed. This was because of the enthusiastic collaboration of like-minded colleagues and the unwavering support of the Equity and Inclusion (E&I) team at CBC. The E&I at CBC team is always ready to offer recommendations and help iron out the logistical hurdles that are part-and-parcel of establishing a new ERG at CBC. I strongly encourage anyone who is looking for a greater sense of belonging within the workplace to consider joining or creating an ERG.
To learn more about the several ERGs at CBC and about CBC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit Diversity and Inclusion CBC/Radio-Canada.
